The Lantern In the Dark
by Happy for Deep People
Summary: Set during and after the Series 2 episode The Idiot's Lantern. What if Tommy Connolly had a sister? She was just a kid from North London, but Angela Connolly's life seems to intersect with the Doctor's, in a way neither can escape.


**Though I have been known to be an utter legend in some ways, I'm sadly not legend enough to have created Doctor Who. **

**1953**

"I am _talking_!" Angela Connolly's Father exploded into the face of the stranger with the funny hair.

Angela expected the man and the lady in the pretty pink dress to cower away like everyone else, when they were confronted with Eddie Connolly's temper – like her Mother and Brother, and poor Gran.

Gran was dead now. That's what her Father had told her, at least. But Angela knew she was in her room hiding.

She knew this because Gran banged her stick, to remind them all she was really there. Angela didn't know why her Dad kept playing the silly game of hide and seek, but he was obviously really frustrated at not finding Gran.

So frustrated that he told that fib that Gran was dead. So frustrated that he shouted _even more than usual._

Grownups could be so silly. And they were bad at hide and seek.

The six year old girl cowered in a corner with her doll, unnoticed by everyone, was surprised.

"And I'm not _listening_!!" the man roared back. He was at least a head taller than Angela's Dad, and carried the authority of someone years and years older. Instantly Eddie Connolly looked like a ridiculous little man in the force of a tornado of energy.

Angela had to stifle her giggles as the funny hair man and the pink dress girl had bossed about her Father. Normally it was him who did all the bossing.

Angela didn't understand a lot of what happened after the strange couple left – why her big brother disappeared, her mother cried, and her Father left. She was only a little girl after all

Just when she'd been certain the couple would leave without noticing her at all, something had made her follow them into the street.

The funny hair man and the pink dress girl were eating cake and laughing. The queen had been crowned – Angela had seen her pretty dress on the new telly, and now she had a sore head.

She couldn't quite remember why.

It was much easier for Angela to think about the funny hair man – she remembered he'd had pretty brown eyes which looked kind.

He'd also had pockets – Angela liked people with pockets _and_ kind eyes. It was the sort of combination that could mean a present. Like the time a nice man in a big coat had come running down Florizel Street in a tearing hurry.

He'd said he was looking for a Doctor, which had confused Angela since he didn't look ill, but he'd produced a red lollipop and ruffled her plaits.

She'd been too busy with her treat to hear his mutterings about "wrong timelines".

Again, Angela hadn't been disappointed. Most time travellers (though of course she didn't know the funny hair man was a time traveller) had big pockets.

"Hello. You're Tommy's sister, aren't you?" The funny hair man was very tall. He had to crouch right down to speak to Angela.

She nodded solemnly in reply.

"Well my name is the Doctor. Are you enjoying the coronation?"

Angela nodded again, taking her time over her answer. "It's given me a sore head. But the queen lady has a really pretty dress. Did you say you were a Doctor?"

"I did. Do you need me to look at that head, for you?" Already Doctor Funny Hair had taken her face between his long fingers. He was muttering away to himself...

"Hmm... slight loss of mental electric energy... Nothing serious, though – You'll be fine in a few days!"

This last was directed to Angela, with a large grin. She was decided. She definitely liked Doctor Funny Hair.

"Good. But that isn't what I wanna know. There was another man. He had a big coat, like my Daddy has in his wardrobe – he calls it his army coat, and says it has loads of memories. The man in the big coat was looking for a Doctor. Are you _that_ Doctor?"

Just for a second, the man's eyes darkened, and Angela was afraid she had said the wrong thing, but then they lit up once more.

"Nah! Bet there're loads of Doctor's about. All clever men. You tell that brother of yours, for example – he'd be a great doctor. Get to college, maybe get a university scholarship. He could do anything he wants. You just tell him that, um...?"

"Angela, sir. Angela Connolly." And Angela dropped a little curtsy, like the ladies who were friends with the queen.

"Well Angela Connolly, tell me this. Do you like Jelly Babies?"

"I love them."

"Do you, now? Well do you think you could do me a _huge_ favour? Because I've eaten a bit too much cake, and I don't want to spoil my dinner! Do you think, Angela Connolly, you could help me dispose of _these_?"

And the Doctor produced a big bag of Jelly Babies.

"Oh yes! Thank you, Mister Doctor!"

"Doctor?" the pink dress lady was talking to the Doctor now. His eyes were so friendly, Angela wanted to give him a hug. But she was shy enough to hang back as the pink dress lady led the Doctor-man away.

After a while she followed the funny couple. They went inside a police box.

_That's funny_, Thought Angela, _Is_ _he a Policeman, as well as a Doctor? He must be a very clever man to have so many jobs. _

She watched the blue box, and just as she was about to give up and go back to the party, she heard a funny noise that made her stop.

The bright blue police box – which was known as the TARDIS to those in the know – wheezed and groaned and faded out of existence.

The six year old Angela Price stood on the street corner, watching the place where it _wasn't _for a long time.

Finally she turned back to the festivities, chewing a jelly baby in deep thought.

The funny hair man who'd said he was a doctor could apparently do magic, too.

He was cleverer than she had thought.

Angela bet _he_ was good at hide and seek.

**I love the Idiot's Lantern episode!**

**Let me know if you like, I think I'll carry this one on – I'm fond of Angela!**

**Thanks for reading, reviews are love :)**


End file.
